I realized recently that even though I consider myself a Body Positive Warrior (#bopowarrior!), I don't do enough sharing about my own personal experience with body image.

So I'm changing that today with a little story about Self Love.

My first memory of feeling shame around my body happened when I was 8 years old. It was the first day of school and I was feeling fly in my Winnie the Pooh denim jumper and Maryjane shoes with ruffle socks.

Billy was a boy who road the bus with me and we were chatting on the way home from school. He looked down at my thighs and said to me "you got fat over the summer." He didn't say it in a mean way, more matter of fact, like there was no arguing this truth.

The biggest takeaway that I got from this experience wasn't that I was fat, surprisingly. Instead my 8 year old self took away other that people are allowed to say whatever they want about my body and they are usually right in what they say.

This belief followed me throughout most of my life. The words that people meant as compliments like "you look so good now" or "you lost weight," became a currency towards buying self-love. Anytime someone said something negative about my appearance, I didn't even question for myself whether it was true. It simply was.

After going through some scary health concerns, I made big changes to my diet and lifestyle that eliminated almost everything fun. During this change, I lost a lot of weight and developed a sense of virtue around what I ate. I loved hearing from other people how "good I was" or how much weight I lost.

Until one day a question entered my mind. "What was wrong with me before I lost the weight and ate a perfect diet?"

The answer to that question was a resounding "Nothing!" There was nothing wrong with me before I lost the weight.

I was still the same beautiful soul.

I knew at this point something needed to change. Instead of finding virtue in my body size and diet, I began to explore having a relationship to my body. A nourishing, healthy relationship. One where I listened to the messages my body was telling me about food instead of defining myself as "good" or "bad" depending on what I ate that day.

From this place, I realized that my body is a powerful vessel for my soul and my soul is beautiful and worthy of love just as it is.

In seeing my body as this powerful vessel for my soul, I began to see parts of body more clearly and by my own standards, not someone else's. My thighs became strong and powerful instead of large and flabby. My hips became womanly, instead of wide. My cellulite and stretch marks became beauty marks, expressions of my unique body.

So let this be your lesson today, Beautiful People. What other people say about your body is NOT your truth. Only you can define your truth for yourself. For me, it began with recognizing that your body is a vessel for my beautiful soul.

What is it for you?

Thank you for letting me be a complete mush on Valentine's Day.

How To Make Yourself Poop Everyday | 11.15.16

I know from first hand experience how frustrating and embarrassing it came be to suffer from digestive issues, especially constipation.

Constipation is one of the most common and persistent digestive issues affecting Americans today. In fact, approximately 42 million Americans are experiencing constipation as we speak.

So you're not alone!

Constipation negatively impacts our day to day life, making us uncomfortable, bloated and gassy. I know I'm not alone in the experience of wanting to cancel plans and stay home due to a little intestinal traffic jam.

Some of you may be feeling like you eat so much fiber, you drink water and stay active, yet you still don't go everyday. Well there's another issue that contributes to constipation; actually making pooping a priority.

This was a huge contributing factor to my previous struggles with constipation.

Before I took back the reigns on my health, pooping wasn't a priority. It was something I ignored until my belly would be in such raging pain that I would be incapacitated for days.

One day I decided enough is enough and I was going to train to my body to eliminate daily so I could stop feeling bloated, lethargic and just overall....blah! I implemented some new daily habits and now I go everyday.

It's absolutely non-negotiable.

Here are my top 4 tips to make yourself poop everyday.

1. Make the Time: Ever had the experience of waking up late, throwing on clothes and running out the door to make it to your job on time? You get into the office, end up stuck in back to back meetings all day and despite having to poo, there's simply no time. This was my life a few years ago and it was MISERABLE. When we hold our poo, it can lead to unnecessary constipation. One day I decided I was going to wake up 30 minutes earlier and wait for the urge to strike. How did I do that you ask? Head on to tip #2 (no pun intended)

2. Drink Something Warm First Thing: My beverage of choice is coffee because it does seem to have laxative effects on me, however this is not the case for everyone. If you're not a coffee drinker, warm lemon water or tea will work just fine. Drinking warm liquids widens blood flow in your digestive system, increasing blood flow and GI activity.

3. Implement Relaxation Techniques in the Morning: Stress is a very common cause of constipation. If you're running around like crazy in the morning trying to get out the door, chances are you're stressed. Doing 5 minutes of meditation, deep breathing or journaling will help activate the parasympathetic state, also known as the rest and digest response.

4. Get A Squatty Potty: I've already shared with you guys the importance of your posture while you poo. The modern toilet does not support the human anatomy when it comes to elimination. Simply raising your feet 7-9 inches while sitting on the toilet will allow you to eliminate more fully and avoid constipation. It also makes your elimination time super quick, saving you time in the morning.

Implement these tips everyday and you'll start to see an improvement in your constipation. If the problem persists, feel free to reach out to me! I would be happy to support you in getting the root of the issue. Click on the button below to schedule a time.

Last week I talked about how you can effectively boost your energy levels by introducing complex carbohydrates into your diet. If you missed it, feel free to scroll down to the first video in the How to Boost Your Energy Series.

This is a four part series that I am doing based on my 4 philosophies for optimal health:

Proper nutrition

Fitness/movement

Self-care

Mind body connection

I hope this video is helpful and inspiring!

How to Boost Your Energy Part 1 | 8.31.16

How often have you found yourself really wanting to start or complete a new project but you simply don't have the energy to do it? Or wanting to cook a delicious and nutritious meal for yourself but you're just so tired you can't bear standing in the kitchen chopping vegetables.

This is all too common in today's society.

We have so many ambitions and ideas that we want to execute but we completely lack the energy to do it.

Sometimes the energy drains are out of our control.

Stressful job, kids, errands, chores, social life...

These are necessities and even prerequisites for life as an adult.

Well the good news is that it is possible to naturally and effectively boost your energy levels without feeling like you have to give something up or gulp down another cup of coffee.

Over the next 4 weeks, I am going to be doing a video series with my top tips to naturally and effectively boost your energy levels. I am basing each of these videos off of my 4 philosophies for optimal health:

Proper nutrition

Fitness/movement

Self-care

Mind/body connection

Below is the first installment. I hope that this series is helpful and inspiring! ​

How to Eat Mindfully | 7.25.16

Today I wanted to share with you a little bit about a practice that changed my life and my relationship with food, mindful eating. Before I learned to eat mindfully, I struggled with emotional and binge eating, digestive issues and anxious feelings around food.

I hardly paid attention to the food that went into my body, eating so fast that I never experienced the tastes and textures.

After years of feeling out of control around food and struggling with digestive issues, I knew something needed to change.

That's when I discovered mindful eating.

So what is mindful eating?

Mindful eating means taking the time to honor your food by choosing high quality, organic food, preparing it with care and eating it slowly and mindfully using your five senses to really enjoy it.

It means allocating quiet time to prepare and enjoy eating your meal without rushing or multitasking at the same time.

Mindful eating is a way of saying to yourself: “I respect my body enough to be mindful of what I put into it and of the way I eat.”

It means choosing to be present with your food and the way you eat it.

My clients find that eating mindfully helps to:

Sense intuitively when you are full

Gain way more satisfaction from eating

Develop a healthy relationship with food

See food as medicine

Discover new tastes and textures

Improve digestion (less gas and bloating)

Regulate bowel movement

Discover food sensitivities

Create healthy habits that enliven you

How will I know if it’s time for me to learn to eat mindfully?It’s time for you to practice mindful eating if you answer “YES” to any of these questions:

You get bloated after eating

You scoff down your food like there is notomorrow

You eat just to feel full not to enjoy the tastes

You eat to numb out

You want to learn to enjoy healthy food

You feel bloated easily

You gain weight easily

You crave sugar or starchy foods

You have difficulty focusing or foggy brain

You feel lethargic after eating

You have allergies or hay fever

You feel addicted to eating foods that aren’t healthy for you but you can’t stop

You tend to gain weight easily, especially in your belly

You have extra pounds that won’t come off with diet and exercise

If any of these things describe you then it may be time to begin to explore mindful eating.

Taking on this new mindset in eating can be challenging without support. If you feel like you want to explore mindful eating and could use a little extra support, feel free to click on the button below to schedule a time to chat with me.

Raise your hand if you feel like you could benefit from a little extra brain space.

I want to share with you an experience I had a little over a month ago that cleared some much needed space in my brain so I could make room for extra creativity and productivity.

At the beginning stages of my work with any client, I encourage them to “clear clutter” in their lives. This can be anything from cleaning up a messy pantry to saying no to a social event that they feel obligated to attend.

The thought process behind this is that you have to take out the old furniture before you can bring in the new. This process is important every time someone embarks on a new adventure. I’ve found that removing physical clutter can energetically remove clutter in the mind.

Think about it? How good does it feel when you organize your closet?

As many of you know, I left my corporate job at the end of May to pursue Health Coaching full time. After a year of juggling both careers, I definitely accumulated a lot of physical clutter. I had papers, notes, folders and study materials all over the apartment because I lacked a designated office space. I live in a pre-war building that comes with the pre-war charm and also a dilapidated, overstuffed and inefficient closet that was filled with office appropriate clothing that I hated.

It was incredibly important to me to have a designated area in my home to work and a proper organizational system but I was so overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start. I admitted that I couldn’t do it on my own and decided to hire a professional home organizer to help me.

Lindsay Frey, founder of Peace In Place: Professional Home Organization, came into my apartment and provided me with the support and direction to create an organized, inviting and comfortable place to live and work.

We started by carving out an office space for me in my living room. This room is quite large by NYC apartment standards and the space was not optimized. I now have an organized, happy and efficient place to work during the day. Also, even though my office is in my living room, Lindsay was able to make both the entertaining and work space seem separate so I don’t have to worry about overlap between work and rest.

We then moved onto the closet.

Lindsay helped me identify between what I needed to keep and what should be donated or thrown away.

You guys...I got rid of 70% of my wardrobe. I was amazed at the amount of clothing I had in there that I never used.

She also helped me realize that the closet doors (which were literally falling apart) weren’t even necessary and we removed them completely.

I told Lindsay that I used to cry at the thought of my dilapidated closet. Now I actually smile when I look at it.

What’s amazing is that I’ve been able to keep up the organization for the past month. It’s inspired me and motivated me to keep everything in its spot.

I know it sounds crazy, but the organization has opened up so much brain space for me and I feel more creative and productive.

I wanted to share this experience with you because it was so helpful for me and I hope that it inspires you to clear a little clutter to make room for some untapped creativity and productivity.

Also, to let you know that it’s okay to ask for help in this area. Home organizers, like Lindsay, offer support and guidance when you’re feeling overwhelmed or like you don’t even know where to start.

I can honestly say it was one of the best investments I made in myself.

Check on the before and after pictures below!!

Also, take a peek at Lindsay’s website to see more of her genius organizing.

﻿Last week as I was preparing for our much anticipated trip to Alaska, my husband sent me an article about working less and still getting ahead. Dan and I are both go-getters and we connect a lot over what we call our "business babies." As we were packing, I was mentioning to him how I should bring my laptop for checking emails while he was shoving his study books into his suitcase.

The article mentions that being a "work-aholic" is often times seen as a badge of honor and I'm positive many of us can relate to that.

The number one reason I decided to leave my corporate job and pursue Health Coaching was to help people heal their relationship to their bodies and food using self love. Another huge factor in becoming self-employed was the flexibility to have work-life balance so I can nourish that which is most important to me, my relationship to myself and my relationship to others.

After years of prioritizing my job, working 12 hour days, nights and weekends, I lost a little piece of myself.

Health Coaching helped me find that missing piece again, however I still have to catch myself from falling back into the mentality of "All I do is WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK" (Sorry, I REALLY love Rihanna).

Lesson #2 from this article was the most eye-opening for me. I don't remember the last time I went on vacation and completely unplugged from email, social media and everything else! There's so much guilt associated with it and an underlying feeling of not deserving. But the truth is that we are human beings, not robots.

We require rest.We deserve to recharge.We are entitled to unplug because NO ONE owns us, whether you're self-employed or work in an office.

I realized that anticipating times to check my emails and post on social media is exactly the opposite of what I stand for.

I would not be practicing what I preach.

I see now that spending this uninterrupted time with my husband will do wonders for us as a couple and individually.

And that I'll come back a better wife, friend, daughter, sister and coach because of it.

If I leave you with anything today it's that YOU CAN DO THIS TOO!

Your job does not define you nor does it own you.

I'm so passionate about this idea that it's actually built into my health coaching program. I help people learn to clear the clutter in their schedule and prioritize themselves within the context of their busy lifestyles so that they can experience optimal peace and self-love.

I realize this can be a very difficult concept for some to grasp and I would be happy to offer myself as a sounding board for anyone who feels like they need a little help in this area. Just click on the button below to schedule some time to chat with me.